I read this article that suggests British people are unable to distinguish between real historical figures and fictional characters. The article highlights a survey carried out by the British TV channel UKTV Gold. The results make interesting reading, people thought that Robin Hood, Biggles and Sherlock Holmes were real people but that Winston Churchill was a fictional character. Two thirds of people questioned thought that King Arthur was a real person with 58% saying that Sherlock Holmes was also real. 47% said that Richard the Lionheart was a myth and 23% thought Winston Churchill was not real. The TV channel said that the findings of the survey showed a fascinating insight into the role that fiction has had in this country over the last 50 years. Funny, I thought it was just a shocking example highlighting a lack of education.
